Exploring student mobility and graduate migration: undergraduate mobility propensities in two economic crisis contexts

Abstract

This article explores the issue of mobility propensity among undergraduates, focusing on plans for long-term and short-term movement, including migration after the completion of present course of study. We also assess the strength of the relationship between a decision to move abroad and the personal impact of the ongoing economic crisis, using evidence from two recent surveys conducted with students in the capital cities of Portugal and the Republic of Ireland. Results provide an indication of the popularity of moving abroad and identify justifications for seeking an exit, potential destinations and anticipated lengths of stays. Regression analysis further confirms that the crisis is having a significant bearing on mobility decisions among respondents in Portugal but not the Republic of Ireland, with the concluding discussion integrating the main findings into existing debates on international student mobility.

Résumé

Cet article explore la question de la propension à la mobilité chez les étudiants du premier cycle et se concentre sur leurs projets de déplacement à court et long terme, y compris après avoir terminé les études actuelles. Nous évaluons aussi l’amplitude de la relation entre une décision de partir à l’étranger après la licence et l’impact personnel de la crise économique actuelle, en utilisant les résultats de deux enquêtes récentes auprès d’étudiants des deux capitales du Portugal et de la République d’Irlande. Ils donnent une indication de la popularité de déménagements à l’étranger et identifient les justifications à la volonté de partir, les destinations éventuelles et la longueur anticipée de durée du séjour. L’analyse de régression confirme en plus que la crise a une influence significative sur les décisions de mobilité auprès des personnes interrogées au Portugal mais pas en République d’Irlande, avec la discussion finale qui inclue les résultats principaux des questions actuelles sur la Mobilité Internationale des Etudiants.

Resumen

En este artículo se explora el tema de la tendencia a la movilidad de los estudiantes universitarios, centrándose en la exploración de planes de mudanza a largo y a corto plazo, incluso después de la finalización del presente curso de estudio. También se evalúa la fuerza de la relación entre la decisión de ir al extranjero después de finalizar un título universitario y el impacto personal de la actual crisis económica, utilizando pruebas de dos encuestas recientes llevadas a cabo con estudiantes en las ciudades capitales de Portugal y la República de Irlanda. Los resultados indican la popularidad de la mudanza al extranjero e identifican las justificaciones para la búsqueda de una salida, posibles destinos y períodos de estancias anticipados. El análisis de regresión confirma, además, que la crisis está teniendo una incidencia significativa en las decisiones de movilidad entre los encuestados en Portugal, pero no en la República de Irlanda, con la discusión final integrando las principales conclusiones en debates existentes sobre la Movilidad Internacional de Estudiantes.

Keywords:

• Portugal
• Republic of Ireland
• youth
• international student mobility
• migration
• economic crisis

Mots clés:

• Portugal
• République d’Irlande
• jeunes
• mobilité internationale des étudiants
• migration
• crise économique

Palabras clave:

• Portugal
• República de Irlanda
• juventud
• movilidad internacional de estudiantes
• migración
• crisis económica

Acknowledgements

The Irish fieldwork was conducted while a visiting scholar at Trinity College Dublin, based at the Institute for International Integration Studies (IIIS), during March and April 2014. The author would like to thank everyone at TCD for their support, including Dr Elaine Moriarty and Ms Colette Keleher.

Notes

1. Student migration appears to have a relatively limited take-up within most European nations in contrast to other global regions such as Central Asia: in the 2011/2012 academic year, it was estimated that in Portugal, the percentage of the student population studying abroad was 3.4%; in the Republic of Ireland, the equivalent figure was 9.8% but in over three quarters of these cases, these were moves to neighbouring UK universities (UNESCO, 2014).

2. The Live Register is a less precise indicator of joblessness compared to the Portuguese system, measuring welfare claimants as opposed to percentages of citizens unemployed, but represents the closest available equivalent. According to the most recent Irish census conducted in 2011, the 15–24 age group is comprised of around 580,000 individuals (CSO, 2014a), suggesting a youth unemployment rate of between 14% (2nd quarter 2011) and 10% (2nd quarter 2011).

3. Regarding the size of student populations from which parameters were drawn, Portugal had 371,000 students enrolled at various public tertiary education institutes in 2012/2013, with 97,977 of these students based at universities in the Lisbon metropolitan area (INE, 2013, p. 145). The application statistics used as the Irish sample parameters registered a total of students 73,091 in this population (CSO, 2014c).

4. In regard to the selection of universities, in Lisbon, four public universities (one a Portuguese public university institute) were chosen due to their large and diverse student bodies, and relative accessibility. Since Dublin only has four major higher education institutions, no selection process was necessary.